Most patients will experience some discomfort for the first week after braces are put on and right after adjustments. Over-the-counter pain medications, such as Advil or Motrin, will help during this time.
Braces/appliances are not indestructible. The staff will review with you the foods to avoid at your bonding appointment, but the rules are really very common sense. You will need to stay away from hard, sticky or chewy things like whole apples, jolly Ranchers, Skittles or gum, for example. Eating those things will result in broken appliances and a longer treatment time!
It is very important to keep your teeth as clean as possible while you have braces/appliances in your mouth. We will show you how to take care of your braces/appliances and provide the necessary oral hygiene aids to maintain them. Please remember that orthodontic appliances do not cause decay or decalcification of your teeth…POOR ORAL HYGIENE does!
We don’t clean teeth or check for cavities while you are in our office. Therefore, we recommend that you continue with your regularly scheduled visits to your dentist.
Yes. We do recommend that you protect your smile during any sporting activity, so please ask us for a mouth guard and we will provide one that fits over your appliances (OMHA approved).
Orthodontic appliances will not generally interfere with the playing of wind instruments, but there may be an initial period of adjustment.
Please call us immediately if any appliance is lost or broken. It is important that we know ahead of time, even if your appointment is that day, or we may not have enough time to make the repair.
Once your braces have been removed, you will typically be issued a clear upper retainer that will be worn full time for about 3 months. After this, the upper retainer is typically worn only while sleeping. A permanent lower retainer consisting of a custom-made surgical wire will be bonded behind the lower front teeth – it is recommended that this be left in place indefinitely. We will supervise your retention period with clinical visits at 6 and 18 months after brace removal, and will make decisions about the disposition of wisdom teeth, for example. After this time, you will graduate from our active care program, however, we will never tell you to stop wearing your retainer. We will be happy to see you after this time, but a nominal fee will apply.